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The World of Words Inside My Head

Anytime I read an interview with a famous screenwriter or watch a director talking on some behind-the-scenes sneak peek of an upcoming film that I can’t wait to see, I always hear the interviewees...

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Nightmares and Muses

When I was in my middle school years, I started having a recurring nightmare. There were black catwalks and pillars of flame. There was suffocating heat, and the rubber from the souls of my sneakers...

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A Lesson In Screenwriting: Snow White and the Huntsman (A Review)

Tonight, I finally got a chance to see a film that I’ve been excited about since I saw the first trailer. With images beautifully shot, costumes stunningly designed, sets built with perfection, and...

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A Writer Writes

A writer writes… This sounds like a very straightforward and obvious concept, but it amazes me how many of my students seem to try to overcomplicate this simple idea. Being a professor in an MFA...

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“What’s My Motivation?”

“What’s My Motivations?” It’s a silly and now clichéd question that actors have been pestering their directions with for years. Even people who aren’t familiar with the craft of acting or the process...

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Trance: A Mosaic of Memory (Review)

I can’t tell you how many times I have seen beginning screenwriters cling to the notion that they HAVE to use flashbacks in their work in order to tell their story. “How else can I show that my...

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Community Not Competition

Once upon a time, I was convinced that I had all the answers. I knew everything that I needed to know about getting my work out there for the world to see. Those other writer/directors out there were...

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The Way, Way Back: A Love Letter To Actors Everywhere (Review)

The Way, Way Back This evening, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of the film The Way, Way Back, which will open in theaters everywhere on July 5th. If you follow film news at all,...

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Special Edition: Give Tweeting A Chance

“I refuse to tweet.” That was my motto for years. I thought that the idea of Twitter was ridiculous. It’s like Facebook, only it’s just status updates? What’s the point? It’s a bunch of teenagers and...

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The Light in Barcelona: Setting in Screenwriting

By Jennie Jarvis In 2006, the Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock romance The Lake House came to theaters. For the most part, the film was mediocre as far as romances go. I cared about the characters, and...

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Working Within The Restrictions of Film Writing

By Jennie Jarvis More than any other form of writing, I believe that screenwriters, especially those writing for mainstream and not independent movies, have the most difficult time working within the...

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Don’t Let Go – Gravity (A Review)

by Jennie Jarvis In his book Write Screenplays That Sell The Ackerman Way, Hal Ackerman argues that Theme is the enemy of a screenwriter. “Theme leads to predictability,” he states, and while I don’t...

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Saving Mr. Banks – and the Audience: The Cathartic Release of Motion Pictures...

by Jennie Jarvis Recently, I had a chance to view a sneak preview of the upcoming Disney movie Saving Mr. Banks. In this film, the “Man Behind the Mouse” – Walt Disney himself (Tom Hanks) – fights to...

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Those Who Can’t… Growing By Teaching

By Jennie Jarvis If you’ve worked in academia in any capacity, then you’ve probably seen some form of this image:   It’s called the Learning Pyramid, and it’s supposed to be a pictorial representation...

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Committing to a New Project

By Jennie Jarvis I don’t know about anyone else, but when I finished a major writing project – whether it be a screenplay or a novel – I fall into a deep depression. Unlike Brad, who wrote earlier this...

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When Is A Screenplay “Published”?

By Jennie Jarvis Working in Academia the past six years has been quite a change from the hectic life of working on set. While life in the film industry began at 4am and often didn’t end until 11pm,...

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Redefining “Support”: What You Need To Know In Order to Support Yourself As A...

By Jennie Jarvis I’ve been teaching writing – either via workshops or in a professional institution like at a University – for over 10 years. While my students and the kinds of writing I teach have...

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Jennie’s Top Ten List of What You Should be Watching Now

by Jennie Jarvis Summer is upon us, and for film lovers, that means one thing – Summer Movie Blockbusters! At the time of writing this, Jurassic World already made enough money on its opening day to...

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Making the Leap From Scene to Scene: Transitions

by Jennie Jarvis When sitting down to write a story, it’s so easy to get caught up in “bullet point” thinking: This happens, then this happens, then this happens. But, if you don’t pay attention to the...

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Refilling The Well: Getting Re-inspired After A Creative Drought by Jennie...

By Jennie Jarvis Have you ever had a period of time where the very idea of writing stresses you out? You remember what writing is, don’t you? That thing you used to do, long ago, that gave you so much...

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